Mayor Jim Ireton released a $47 million budget April 15 with provisions for employee furloughs, a sewer rate increase and cuts across the board. But it left many departments and organizations dissatisfied.

(Police and Fire furloughs should not even be on the table, especially with crime as it already is in SBY. If we don't have safety and security, what do we have?)

"We're not going to be able to have it all," said Council President Louise Smith, who suggested leaving the city-wide furlough schedule alone and assisting public safety with a new vehicle or extra overtime. Smith's opponents on the council disagree, but compromises are slow coming.

Council members agreed to uphold Ireton's choice to deny funding to The Village of Hope and the Maryland Food Bank, citing the availability and more appropriateness of seeking funding elsewhere, namely through Wicomico County. (Unfortunately this is a better choice for cuts though it angers some. Of course I believe in helping the poor, but I also believe in safety. Charitable organizations are always the first to get cut.)More at Daily Times

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comments:

Anonymous
said...

How is that East Side Deli case you said was almost solved back in Dec?

You don't cut public safety in hard economic times. It's in hard times crime is on the rise especially robberies, theft, burglaries. If they have to cut let them cut out the raises they are giving under the guise of reclassifications. No matter how they spin it, it is still a raise. Let them cut some of the fat from the GOB, assistants don't need assistants. We have a mayor, a city administrator, an assistant city administrator and they all have secretaries. Why do we need all that fat?